Nara Hotel
The Nara Hotel opened in 1909 on a hill above Nara Park as the guest house for dignitaries visiting the old capital, and it has been receiving them since: Einstein played the piano in the lounge, and the register runs through most of the twentieth century.
Nara Hotel is a hotel destination wedding venue in Nara, Japan, hosting up to 150 guests (Aisle estimate), where a wedding for 80 guests costs about JP¥4,070,000 (our estimate), reached from Kansai International (KIX), ~90 minutes by car.
About Nara Hotel
The Nara Hotel opened in 1909 on a hill above Nara Park as the guest house for dignitaries visiting the old capital, and it has been receiving them since: Einstein played the piano in the lounge, and the register runs through most of the twentieth century.
The main building is by Tatsuno Kingo, the architect of Tokyo Station, built in hinoki cypress in the Momoyama palace manner, with a tiled roof, coffered ceilings and fireplaces that look like they belong in a temple.
There are 129 rooms across the main building and an annex, and four banquet halls that take weddings and receptions.
What the hotel gives a wedding is the town around it: Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha and 1,200 free-roaming deer are a walk away, and Kyoto is 45 minutes by train, so guests can do the whole of the old capital region from one bed.
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Capacity, rooms and facilities
Money
- A wedding for 80 guests
- About JP¥4,070,000, rooms extraAisle estimate
- Price
- JP¥1,500,000 to JP¥6,000,000 as a packageAisle estimate
Getting there
- Nearest airport
- KIX, 90 min by carAisle estimate
Venue highlights
- Opened 1909 as the guest house of the old capital
- Main building by Tatsuno Kingo, architect of Tokyo Station
- Hinoki cypress construction in the Momoyama palace manner
- 129 rooms across main building and annex, four banquet halls
A sample wedding weekend
See the day-by-day outline+
Use this as a starting point and adapt it to your bookings and guests.
- 17:00Check in, drinks in the lounge where Einstein played
- 08:00Todai-ji before the coaches, deer in the park
- 14:00Ceremony at Kasuga Taisha or in the hotel
- 16:00Drinks on the hotel terrace above the park
- 18:00Banquet under the coffered ceiling of the main building
- 10:30Farewell brunch, then the train to Kyoto
Costs and booking details
- Getting there
- KIX · about 1 h 30 by carAisle estimate
Guests fly into Kansai International.
Questions about the venue
How many guests can the Nara Hotel seat?+
The hotel does not publish a wedding capacity. It has four banquet halls of different sizes used for weddings and receptions, so a party of 100 to 150 is a reasonable planning assumption, and the hotel will confirm the room against your number.
Why marry in Nara rather than Kyoto?+
Nara was the capital before Kyoto and it is far quieter. Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha and the deer park sit within a walk of the hotel, and Kyoto is 45 minutes by train, so guests get the older city without the Kyoto crowds or room rates.
What is the building like?+
The main building is 1909 hinoki cypress by Tatsuno Kingo in the Momoyama palace style, with a tiled roof and coffered ceilings. There is an annex with more conventional rooms, and 129 rooms in total across the two.
How do guests reach Nara?+
Kansai International is about 90 minutes by car, Osaka Itami about 70. By train, the Kintetsu limited express from Osaka Namba takes 40 minutes and Kyoto to Nara runs 35 to 45 minutes, so a Kyoto-based guest list can come for the day.
What does a wedding here cost?+
The hotel does not publish wedding prices. Japanese hotel banquets at this class commonly run 15,000 to 25,000 yen a head for food and drink before ceremony and attire, and the hotel quotes a package after an enquiry.
Could this be your venue?
Ask about pricing and availability for the month you have in mind. You do not need a fixed date.
Still deciding? Elena is Aisle’s AI wedding planner. Give her a month and a guest count and she will forecast the budget, work out how your guests would travel, and put a first plan on paper. No account needed.
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Sources and booking notes
Confirm your dates, guest numbers, room arrangements and inclusions with the venue before booking. An enquiry does not reserve a date. Figures labelled Aisle estimate are modelled from regional rates and public sources; they are not venue quotes.